Nathan Smith Boynton (June 23, 1837 – May 27, 1911)[1] was a Michigan politician, inventor, investor, hotel owner, and a Civil War Major.

Boynton was educated in Waukegan, Illinois, and briefly attended medical school in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he married Anna Fidelei.

[1] After his service in the Civil War, Boynton returned to Port Huron where he served in many capacities, including postmaster, newspaper publisher and mayor.

He also founded the Order of the Maccabees, a national social fraternity that served as a form of life insurance.

His failing health caused him to seek a warmer climate; Boynton visited South Florida in 1895 with Congressman William S. Linton.